Qatar and Bosnia and Herzegovina go into their final World Cup Group B game on Wednesday in Seattle knowing they realistically must win to progress, with a possible last-32 clash against co-hosts the United States the prize on offer.
The two sides began their tournaments well enough as Qatar, whose only previous finals appearance was on home soil in 2022, snatched a late equaliser against Switzerland while Bosnia held Canada to a creditable draw.
Their disastrous second matches, however, leave them targeting third in Group B, which could set up a knockout game against the US in San Francisco on July 1 - but only if one of them can grab all three points in Seattle.
Qatar were simply blown away, already 2-0 down when Homam al-Amin was sent off to open the floodgates in a 6-0 drubbing. Bosnia held out for more than 70 minutes until the wheels fell off in a 4-1 defeat by the Swiss.
The hefty margins of defeat severely damaged their goal difference, which could hamper their chances of progress if they are level on points with rival third-placed teams.
With two points surely not enough to qualify, a draw is no use to either side and could make for an open game. Neither nation have made it out of the group before, though, and are more comfortable setting up to defend and counter.
Qatar will miss both al-Amin and Assim Madibo after they were sent off against Canada, with Madibo's rash challenge leaving Ismael Kone with a broken leg. Their coach Julen Lopetegui sought to emphasise the positives after last week's hammering, saying Qatar still had everything to play for.
"There are other countries, big countries, they are looking at the World Cup on TV - and we are here," he said after the Canada game. "Now we have one final in front of us."
Bosnia - who defeated Italy on penalties to qualify - will be strong favourites, but are without highly-rated 23-year-old defender Tarik Muharemovic after his straight red against Switzerland.
Coach Sergej Barbarez said Muharemovic would be missed for the must-win game, but added: "I don't like whining. I think we have a sufficient number of good players to replace him."
With Canada and Switzerland occupying the top two places, victory is essential for either side to boost their chances of progressing as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams.
Goal difference could prove crucial, with Canada leading the group at +6, ahead of Switzerland (+3), while Bosnia (-3) and Qatar (-6) face a difficult challenge. A positive result would keep Qatar firmly in contention heading into the final phase of qualification calculations.
